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Currently I have:

with Zodiac Prelude:
171 files remaining to compare, edit, and delete the unusable characters from.
10 characters to delete- I also edit these scenes to preserve the content my writing partner and I have created.
Yesterday I added 369 new words to the count. I am now 4,402 words away from 400,000.

Total story count: 64
Each script is at a different stage. Some are 'on hold', others are 'concepts'. This ones listed as 'CWIP' are the scripts I'm currently focused on. Of course it's very possible that some of these stories may end up becoming chapters of stories. There are a few that I am certain of with this.


- current work in progress-
The Zodiac Chronicles ~ Prelude to Destiny
The Centurions ~ Blood and Loyalty
Her Journey
Boundaries]]> Work In Progress xml-rss2.php?itemid=28 Fri, 7 Oct 2011 23:05:12 -0500 xml-rss2.php?itemid=27
'You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair - the sense that you can never completely put on the page what's in your mind and heart. You can come to the act with your fists clenched and your eyes narrowed, ready to kick ass and take down names. You can come to it because you want a girl to marry you or because you want to change the world. Come to it any way but lightly. Let me say it again: you must not come lightly to the blank page.'

-Stephen King ]]> Memorable Quotes xml-rss2.php?itemid=27 Tue, 4 Oct 2011 13:42:48 -0500 xml-rss2.php?itemid=23
Currently I have:

with Zodiac Prelude:
171 files remaining to compare, edit, and delete the unusable characters from.
10 characters to delete- I also edit these scenes to preserve the content my writing partner and I have created.
Yesterday I added 369 new words to the count. I am now 4,402 words away from 400,000.

Total story count: 64
Each script is at a different stage. Some are 'on hold', others are 'concepts'. This ones listed as 'CWIP' are the scripts I'm currently focused on. Of course it's very possible that some of these stories may end up becoming chapters of stories. There are a few that I am certain of with this.

My current WIP's are:
The Zodiac Chronicles ~ Prelude to Destiny
The Centurions ~ Blood and Loyalty
Her Journey
Boundaries]]> Work In Progress xml-rss2.php?itemid=23 Sun, 4 Sep 2011 16:14:04 -0500 xml-rss2.php?itemid=21 Memorable Quotes xml-rss2.php?itemid=21 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:00:17 -0500 xml-rss2.php?itemid=20
-Unknown]]> Memorable Quotes xml-rss2.php?itemid=20 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:02:07 -0500 xml-rss2.php?itemid=18
I deal with a lot of bully issues in my 'mature YA' series The Centurions. Most of the bullies they encounter are fairly harmless- some have the 'get them before they get me' attitude, and others are lashing out because some one is hurting them. These are the 'easy to defuse and repair' scenarios.

And then there's the small handful that surpass reason and explanation. In book 1 of The Centurion Series there's at least 1 bully that turns out to be a sociopath; killing several of the Centurions. The situation comes to a climax when the sociopath targets the wrong people- a cadet at the local military academy, and the sister of another cadet. It's all downhill after that.

And that's all you’re getting out of me... for now.
]]> The Aspects of Writing xml-rss2.php?itemid=18 Tue, 9 Aug 2011 20:27:45 -0500 xml-rss2.php?itemid=16
On another, related note- my writing partner has been approached by a house in Europe about translating one of her books. I am happy for her. I'll squeal with glee when she calls to say some producer wants to make the movie. And I can see that happening for her.

okay, I admit it- I'll squeal like the tweens would at a NKOTB concert. LOL ]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=16 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:01:24 -0500 xml-rss2.php?itemid=13
When it comes to reviewers I look for people who can or are willing to do several things:

Be considerate - reviewers need to remember that it's my book, voice, and style not theirs.

One reviewer virtually smacked my hand and told me to watch my LY's, words ending in LY are can land a manuscript in the circular file because they weaken the content.

Refrain from using the critique as a political soap box- one of the first people to review The Zodiac Chronicles compared it the Bush administration and used his review to strike a political attack against Bush.

I don't expect everyone to like my work. If a reviewer doesn't like my work I'd rather that they be gracious and back out because it won't do either of us any good and may hard the friendship.

Be objective and honest- yes it's my ego on the chopping block- but not being honest is a disservice to me. One of my reviewers told me that I was "too wordy" for her. I wasn't sure what she meant- so I asked her to show me by editing the file to reflect her opinion. What I learned from this is that I use too many adjectives. It's been a curve ball for me because I'm a descriptive writer. I like to paint a scene with my words.

In short- she was saying the same thing other people had said - that I'm too descriptive. The difference is that she made it personal by applying herself in it and explaining what she meant. The end result is that she got through to me. I'm still working on this but I'm getting better. :)

The reviewers who have survived the years with me can tell you- I am not an easy writer to work with. It's my work and my passion, and my characters are like children to me. So, it's personal for me. The thing is I won't know how good I am, or how I can improve without the input from my reviewers. They are my rock and solace through the insanity. Sometimes I can't define my gratitude for their efforts. No matter what I say it would be an understatement of how I felt.
]]> Reality Check xml-rss2.php?itemid=13 Mon, 4 Jul 2011 00:58:34 -0500 xml-rss2.php?itemid=11
After reorganizing I now have all of the story files in one folder (with 2 sub-folders- separating the old from the new). And now I have some official counts:

There are 493 files left to go through. The average duplication is 5 to 6 copies. There are some with 10 to 12 copies. So, it's not as bad as originally thought.

The next part is more of the tedious work- comparing and deleting. Whittling to one copy of each file will make things easier. The nice part is that some of these copies are from having broken up the story in increments of 15 pages- give or take a page or two.

]]> Work In Progress xml-rss2.php?itemid=11 Sun, 3 Jul 2011 14:54:23 -0500 xml-rss2.php?itemid=9
One of the aspects I like is that the 2nd category is 'About Promptly' - this takes you to a post from Zachary on what his blog is about.

Here are a few links connected to Promptly:

The blog site: WD Promptly

Follow on Facebook

Zachary's Website

]]> Recommended xml-rss2.php?itemid=9 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:51:11 -0500